A Familiar Hand to Hold
by BlackWitchesCat
Summary: Nothing made sense to him. Ever since he awoke from the attempt on his life, everything seemed off. Why were his memories contradicting themselves? Why did it feel like something was missing? Who is the masked hero that haunts his dreams? Who is the green eyed boy always reaching out to him? Most importantly, who tried to kill him and who can he trust to be his knight of one?


**1962 words w/o AN**

 **6/1/17**

 **This is a FanFiction written for SerenSeren. I hope they like it, as it is the first request I received from anyone. If you would like to see the original request and some notes on how I may have taken some artistic liberties please visit my profile. I definitely wanted to change it from the usual, Lelouch wakes up in another reality fanfic. There is also some news on my other story Four Years.**

* * *

He stretched his pale hand up to grasp the tanned hand above him. The grip was strong and warm and Lelouch was amazed at how easily the other boy lifted him to the stable ground above. He panted as the cicadas drowned out his thoughts. It made it hard to discern whether the sound they made were screams of terror or just the cheers of summer fun. He was too faint of breath to care about the annoying bugs in the background.

He lifted his head from its bowed position and smiled at the green eyed boy that had helped him climb the steep hill. Instead of smiling green eyes, however, he saw his own shocked face reflect back to him off a purple helmet's visor. The scared ten-year-old attempted to step back but the figure stepped forward, thrusting a jewel encrusted blade towards the boy. He felt the blade impale him as it slid through his abdomen. The pain, from the sword, was numbed by his shock, as he reached out to the masked figure.

When his red fingers grazed the mask the figure ripped the now blood stained sword from him. All he could see as he fell backward, off the small cliff he had previously climbed, was his own reflection in the void of the other's mask. It vaguely felt like he was falling into it instead of from it and all he could do was wonder why were his own eyes red?

* * *

Purple eyes shot open as Lelouch sharply sat up in bed, awakening from his feverish dream. Pain radiated from his torso and he clenched his bandaged chest as he coughed harshly. He could vaguely hear the sound of rushing shoes and the opening of a door. The lights suddenly flashed on burning his already irritated eyes.

"Your Majesty!"

He ignored the panicked voice as he continued to cough and try to bring air into his lungs. He violently ripped an air tube out from under his nose as his covered his mouth. The pain felt as if the masked figure, from his dreams, really had stabbed him.

Strong hands leant him forward more and patted his back. The voice from before tried to calm him as he began to relax and become drowsy. When the coughing lessened his hands were removed from his face and he was pushed to lay back against the bed as an air mask was placed over his lower face. It slowly became easier to breathe with the mask on.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a concerned looking young woman with warm green eyes. Her delicate fingers carded their way through his hair in a calming gesture. She became distracted as she turned and looked at the door where a man in a white lab coat had entered.

The eighteen-year-old laying on the bed couldn't make out the conversation the two were having, he was becoming drowsier by the second. The man crossed the room and just before he leaned over Lelouch, he fell back into sleep.

* * *

The second time Lelouch awoke he was calmer. There was no dream of a masked man with a sword to send him into a panic. He was, however, perplexed by the white room and small bed. His bed at the palace had been a king size mattress and the walls of his chambers had been a cream color. The palace also lacked the overpowering sterile smell of the room he currently laid in.

He pulled his hand up to rub the sleep out of his eyes, hoping that with clearer vision, he could better see his surroundings. His hand, however, clumsily knocked into an air mask over the lower part of his face. The clouded memory of the night before came back and he groaned in irritation.

"Oh, you're up," He heard a voice say. Turning his gaze to the door he saw a young girl standing in the doorway with a food tray. She looked oddly familiar to the young monarch. Her long orange hair was tied into a high ponytail under a white nurse's hat. Her bright green eyes smiled happily at him as she rushed over and placed the tray on the table next to him.

"I'm glad you are okay, Your Majesty. After your episode last night I was afraid you might have injured yourself more. You were so worked up I had to sedate you. Luckily, the Doctor said you didn't tear any stitches," she cheerfully said as she pushed a button that slowly raised the mattress so he was in a sitting position.

"Oh, I haven't even introduced myself! I'm your nurse Shirley Fenette," She bowed to Lelouch.

Slowly he removed the masked and addressed her, "Where am I?"

She blinked in mild confusion, "You don't remember, Your Majesty? You were shot, during the Day of Emperors Parade a few days ago. Everyone was shocked at the assassination attempt."

"Shot?" for some reason he had thought he was stabbed as he remembered the masked man from his nightmare.

"Yes, the bullet even hit your lung. Luckily, you were brought to the hospital quickly," she said as she moved the bed tray in front of him, "Britannian medicine, though, is quite astounding."

He looked down at the food. The plate was made up of some pancakes and fruit with a glass of milk. It must have still been morning if they were serving breakfast.

"My shift is almost over, but before I leave I'll make sure that your guards inform the royal family of your state," she said as she bowed, "I am grateful that you are doing better, Your Majesty. It is a relieving that Britannia has not lost its emperor."

With that she gave him one last smile and left, passing a blue haired gentleman standing just outside the door.

Looking back at the food he pushed it away. He wasn't very hungry at the moment. The young emperor was more concerned with clearing his buzzing head.

He tried to remember the parade the nurse had mentioned and soon the events of that day returned, albeit hazy. It was customary for the emperor to great his subjects in the capital during one of Britannia's largest patriotic holidays. He had been sitting in his chair on top of a float as he waved from behind the bulletproof glass his guards insisted on when the sudden pain had struck him. Everyone had stopped as they watched his robes turn from pristine white to red. Looking up he saw the shattered glass blindingly caught the sun's rays and fell to his feet. After that moment his memory faded completely.

The strange part, about the memory, was how it didn't feel right. It seemed as if he, himself, was a spectator, watching the parade from afar. Then he remembered his dream, and to be truthful, the masked hero seemed more real, to him, than what he had remembered of the incident.

His thought process soon halted as he realized that he had just mentally referred to the masked man as a hero. 'Why is he a hero?' he thought.

"Nothing's making sense," he said to himself as he leant back onto the bed in frustration.

"What doesn't make sense, Your Majesty," a voice said from the door. Lelouch looked and saw it was his ever-present guard, Jeremiah Gottwald.

Sighing Lelouch shook his head of his previous thoughts. He was too exhausted to sort them out and could follow up on them at a later time. "It is nothing, Lord Jeremiah. How has everything been? The nurse from before had mentioned that I was comatose for a few days," he addressed the blue haired man who rose back to his full height. Something seemed off about him but Lelouch could not process why. His eyes, however, were drawn to the blue haired man's left eye. Something seemed to be missing there.

"His Highness, Prince Schneizel, has been taking care of the empire since you were attacked. Her Highness, Princess Cornelia, has been tasked with investigating the attack. Both have just been informed of your waking," the man informed him and then continued, "Princess Nunnally has also been informed and has requested that I inform you that she is on her way and will be visiting you shortly."

" _You can't leave me! You can't! Please open your eyes Big Brother! Please!"_

Images of a weeping Nunnally staring down at him while crying assaulted his mind. He winced a little in pain as her name escaped his lips in a whisper.

"Excuse me, Your Majesty?"

"Nunnally, was she there at the parade?" he asked the man next to him.

"No, if I remember she was back at the palace preparing for the annual celebration," Lord Jeremiah answered confused.

"I could have sworn I heard her crying," he said confused.

"It could have been while you were in your coma, Your Majesty. She did visit you daily and cried during her earlier visits," Lord Jeremiah tried to rationalize. Lelouch nodded his head and agreed. The explanation did not explain why those images showed her at the parade, however.

His thoughts, though, were soon interrupted by the ring of a phone. Jeremiah quickly rifled through his own pocket in search of the ringing object. Once he retrieved the small device and answered it Lelouch heard him address his elder brother, Schneizel.

"Prince Schneizel. Yes. He's right here. Do you wish to speak with him? Yes, Your Highness," he said into the phone before holding it out to Lelouch.

His brother spoke before he could even greet the blonde male on the other end of the phone, "I'm glad you are okay, brother. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was shot," he deadpanned. Honestly, what was he supposed to say? That he felt like he could run a mile? He couldn't do that even without a punctured lung.

The blonde male on the other end of the call chuckled, "I figured as much. I just wanted to tell you that since you are now awake I will be there later tonight, after Nunnally's visit, to check in and talk. We have quite a bit to catch you up on as well as other matters."

"I Look forward to our meeting, Schneizel," he said with grit teeth. He had no idea why he felt annoyed but he blamed it on his fogged mind. In all rationality, he should have been grateful to his brother for taking over the empire but instead, he felt patronized and as if he had lost to the other. It made little sense and he could see by the confused look on the blue hair males face, that Jeremiah thought the same. With a click of the phone, Lelouch sighed and handed the device back to its owner.

"Perhaps you should try to sleep some more, Your Majesty," the other suggested, "I promise that I will wake you when Princess Nunnally has arrived."

With tired eyes, Lelouch nodded in agreement. He was tired, despite having been in a coma. His ever present guard lowered his bed to a more comfortable sleeping position before bowing and resuming his guardpost.

Sleep did not waste time in taking him. Heavy curtains descended over amethyst pools and returned him to his dreams. Warm air brushed his skin as the smell of sunflowers filled his nose. He looked up to an outstretched tan hand as the song of the cicadas assaulted his ears. The hand was strong and Lelouch knew he wouldn't fall when he grabbed, due to the tight grip of the other's fingers. He smiled as he looked past their clasped hands and, this time, into green eyes smiling back, instead of a void mask.

* * *

 **I hope you liked my dream sequence. Everyone seems to go with just retelling the last episode and to me, it is so boring. I could just re-watch what happened. No need to re-traumatize me again. So I went with this and there is some symbolism in the dream sequence that if you look closely it shows the two worlds. Tell me if you picked up on them**

 **By the way, as someone who lives in Florida, I would like to say cicadas are annoying and they actually do sound like people being murdered if you aren't used to them like I was a few years ago. Now they just kind of sound like summer to me.  
**

 **So please tell me what you think! Why does Lelouch wake up with two strange memories? Who tried to assassinate him? And who is the masked man? (Obviously Suzaku but roll with me)**

 **Please R &R! I would greatly wish to improve! And Sorry for the long AN's. **


End file.
